Education Resources

Health Highlights: Jan. 15, 2014

Here are some of the latest health and medical news
developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Muscle-Building Exercises Reduce Women's Diabetes Risk:
Study

Lifting weights and other muscle-building workouts reduce
women's risk of diabetes, according to a new study.

Researchers analyzed data collected from nearly 100,000 U.S.
nurses over eight years and found that those who lifted weights,
did press-ups or similar resistance workouts were less likely to
develop type 2 diabetes,
BBC Newsreported.

Compared with inactive women, those who did at least 150 minutes
of aerobic activity and at least an hour of muscle-strengthening
exercises a week were a third less likely to develop diabetes, said
the study in the journal
PLoS Medicine.

It was already known that regular aerobic workouts can help
prevent type 2 diabetes. And previous studies have shown that
muscle-building exercises protect men against diabetes,
BBC Newsreported.

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Asian-Americans Thinner, Not Necessarily Healthier Than Other
Racial Groups: Study

Just because Asian-Americans tend to be thinner than whites,
blacks and Hispanics doesn't mean they're healthier, according to a
new study.

It found that about 38 percent of Asian-Americans are
overweight, compared with 66 percent of whites, 76 percent of
blacks and nearly 80 percent of Hispanics,
NBC Newsreported.

However, Asian-Americans were about as likely to have high blood
pressure as whites, and about as likely to have high cholesterol as
whites, blacks and Hispanics, according to the federal government
study.

This is the first time that Asian-Americans have been included
in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, conducted
by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Previously,
there were too few people of Asian descent in the U.S., but their
numbers increased by more than 40 percent between 2000 and 2010 and
they now make up five percent of the nation's population,
NBC Newsreported.

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Free Paternity Tests for People Whose Parents Used Fertility
Clinic at University of Utah

University of Utah officials are offering free paternity tests
to anyone whose parents used a fertility clinic that was once
operated by faculty members and where there was possible tampering
with semen samples.

The university received a complaint that a convicted felon who
worked as a medical technologist at the Reproductive Medical
Technologies clinic in the early 1990s switched a customer's sperm
with his own. Officials won't get any answers from the suspect,
Thomas Ray Lippert, because he died in 1999, the
Associated Pressreported.

The complaint was filed by Pamela Branum nearly a year ago after
she and her husband discovered a genetic mismatch in their
21-year-old daughter who was born after the couple used the
fertility clinic in 1991. With help from Lippert's relatives, the
couple was able to trace their daughter's lineage to Lippert.

The fertility clinic closed in the 1990s and left behind no
records that might reveal if more people were affected. A
university hotline has received 17 calls in recent days about
possible tampering with semen samples at the clinic, the
APreported.

However, university officials say a lack of information will
make it difficult to investigate the matter.

"Unfortunately, the reality of this very disturbing situation is that there is very little information with which to make any definitive conclusions," Kathy Wilets, a spokeswoman for the University of Utah's health sciences division, told the APin a statement.

"We believe it is impossible to determine exactly what happened. The university is sympathetic to the distress this situation has caused the Branum family," she added.

Pamela Branum said she doesn't believe the university has
conducted a serious investigation and is trying to avoid the risk
of a wider scandal, the
APreported.

The university had no ownership stake in the clinic, but used
some of its services. Three of the clinic's owners were university
faculty or staff. Surviving partners have refused to comment on the
matter.

State and federal prosecutors said they hadn't known about
Barnum's allegation and weren't certain if an investigation was
necessary, the
APreported.

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Michelle Obama Won't Rule Out Cosmetic Procedures

Michelle Obama turns 50 later this week and won't rule out the
possibility of having cosmetic procedures such as plastic surgery
or Botox treatments in the future.

"Women should have the freedom to do whatever they need to do to feel good about themselves," she told Peoplemagazine in an interview to be published Friday, which is the first lady's 50th birthday, the Associated Pressreported. "Right now, I don't imagine that I would go that route, but I've also learned to never say never."

Mrs. Obama urged women to look after their health. She noted
that she has never missed a health checkup, including Pap smears
and mammograms. She's also had a colonoscopy.

"I don't obsess about what I eat, but I do make sure that I'm eating vegetables and fruit," she said in the interview, the APreported. "And as everyone knows, I do exercise."

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Judge Denies Preliminary Approval of NFL Concussion
Settlement

Preliminary approval of a $765 million settlement of concussion
claims involving NFL players was denied Tuesday by a federal judge
due to concerns it would not be enough to cover 20,000 retired
players.

A week ago, players' lawyers gave the payout plan to U.S.
District Judge Anita B. Brody to review. In her opinion released
Tuesday, the judge asked for more financial information from the
parties, the
Associated Pressreported.

"I am primarily concerned that not all retired NFL football players who ultimately receive a qualifying diagnosis or their (families) will be paid," Brody wrote in her opinion.

The proposed settlement was negotiated over several months and
is meant to last 65 years. Individual payouts would be based on a
retired player's age and diagnosis. For example, a younger retired
player with Lou Gehrig's disease would receive $5 million, while
one with serious dementia would get $3 million, and an 80-year-old
with early dementia would get $25,000, the
APreported.

More than 4,500 former players have filed suit against the NFL,
and some have accused the league of fraud for the way it dealt with
concussions.

Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.